


Forevermore

by YunaBlaze



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), Deus Ex (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bickering, Crossover, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24872566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YunaBlaze/pseuds/YunaBlaze
Summary: Stuck within in the cage that is a well-oiled machine, Jim Miller was nothing more than an overseer of the androids who are working within TF29. He was pretty sure that he would work until he was also replaced. At least that was what Miller thought until a new improved series has been sent to him...
Relationships: Jim Miller (Deus Ex)/Upgraded Connor | RK900 (Detroit: Become Human)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 10
Collections: Turing Fest 2020





	Forevermore

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kameiko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kameiko/gifts).



> Newest crossover pairing I decide to try my hands on! I hope you enjoy this story!

Silence could be awfully loud at times. For a man like James “Jim” Miller, it was deafening. Noises were signs of life to him, something he didn’t realize he was surrounded by until they were no longer there. His family, his lover and then his team, leaving him all alone in this thankless job as the world continued to turn and struggle to survive from all the catastrophes that had plunged civilization into an even darker time than before. Now, it was like no one could truly trust anybody.

‘Director, the new units have arrived,’ a disembodied voice echoed in the room.

Miller sighed as he leaned back against his seat before he replied, ‘Thank you, Eliza. I’ll check in with them later.’

In times when trust between humans couldn’t be achieved, people settled with artificial intelligences. No more soldiers of blood and bones on the battlefield, only mechanical soldiers at the disposal of the commanding officers. As the current Branch Director of the Eastern America Division of Taskforce 29, Miller was surrounded by artificial intelligences, he barely had any human interaction since his boss had him dismiss all his men and had them replaced by combat androids. At times, he felt like his promotion was more a sentence, imprisoning him in a technological advanced cell, where his sole duty was to make sure to guide the chess pieces handed to him to victory until he himself finally broke.

With a sigh, the old soldier refocused on his work, he pulled out the documents he had received from his higher-up. A full detailed report of the new units that would soon join his division. The RK900 series, Cyberlife’s latest model for military purpose. Dermal plates, quicksilver reflexes and a broader range of combat knowledge than the previous developed series. In short, the perfect obedient soldier. Green eyes paused at the hive mind function. Apparently, this series had a peculiar setup, most units were equipped with a basic functioning AI, only a few had the master control program that allowed them to direct and command the basic units. In short, they were the captains of their squad as well as the main controller of the lesser units. In another term, it would be his future replacement. Data and formula could only get one so far, but experience was always a better teacher.

 _Well... At least this means I’ll be out of this cage soon…_ Miller thought absentmindedly as he stared out of his office’s window, watching some of the older androids gathered together and whispered amongst themselves. Yeah, he had noticed the quirks the machines had developed over time. Especially when Aria, one of the older combat androids, had started crying after she had lost her arm in a firefight, many others had tried to keep her quiet, but it wasn’t like he was deaf or blind. They had all looked at him like he was the biggest monster in the room when he had found them, it still made him laughed at times when he remembered that day. Instead of throwing Aria away like they had thought he would, he had called a technician over to repair her and the female android was extremely thankful of that.

Of course, HQ’s tech department was wondering why he kept insisting on repairing his androids when he could easily replace them, seeing he kept requiring technicians to come over to check his androids at least once every month. The one they complained the most about was Duncan, the frontline DM demolition expert unit that had more scars than any other android in the division, and boy did that android had a foul mouth that would make any human soldier proud. The technicians probably thought it was for his own twisted sense of humour to keep these trashes around, though Miller would beg to differ. These androids might not be humans, they were still his men and he would always make sure they were taken care, so long that he remained the head of this division. Not to mention, they kept him sane while he was trapped here.

The old soldier sighed as he got up. He might need to start planning how to reassign everyone, seeing most TF29 divisions didn’t even bother to keep the older models. He hoped he could at least make sure everyone had a good retirement plan of sort before he was thrown to the dogs as well. For now, as the Director, he needed to give everyone a head’s up on their upcoming new comrades in arms. His men were always wary of new arrivals and were tenser than a spring when human technicians were in the base. It was going to be a few rough months... Or he hoped it would only be a few months. After all, they all started talking and acting like any typical human soldiers and workers alike after a few months working here. This one model shouldn’t be any different.

***

Jim only realized he spoke too soon when he finally came face-to-face with the RK900 unit himself. An expressionless sharp face carved out of marble and blue grey eyes made from the coldest ice crystal, with warm brown-coloured short hair that complimented the android’s otherwise cold perfection. The overall impression Miller got from this unit was. _This guy... might be a harder nut to crack..._

The Director would admit that when he had to unpack robots from their storage unit, seeing all those lifeless eyes staring at him before he finished their registration, it was quite unnerving. Now he wasn’t unnerved by them. Oh no. This time, he downright felt threatened by the new series and he probably wasn’t the only one who was thinking along those lines. Seeing the whole division was silent as a tomb and all the armed units had their weapons drawn and aimed at the newcomers.

Instead of coming in a storage unit like the previous series, a squad of thirteen androids had marched into the base with armours and weapons, looking like they were here for a hostile takeover than a simple transfer. Twelve androids wore black-coloured gear, each with their own unique Cyberlife numeric marked on the left side of the breastplate and the tag of “Sub-Unit” on their armband. The one leading them wore white coat, his armour was less bulky than the others and his weapons were concealed unlike the units he was leading. Miller was only slightly comforted by the fact that his men were also armed and had his back as he faced the new androids and ordered, ‘RK900. Report.’

‘RK900 #313 248 317 – 87, Master Unit. Reporting for duty, sir,’ the RK900 responded and snapped into attention, the rest of his squad mimicked him in perfect unison.

‘Passcode Juliett, Mike, Echo, Alpha, Delta, O, Four, Five, One,’ Jim stated clearly.

‘Passcode recognized. Ready for registration,’ the android intoned mechanically.

‘Registration under Director James Miller, ID JM5545. RK900, register your name...’ the Director paused, not sure what name to give the RK900. It was a bit tempting to just go with his series or just call him Nines, but that wouldn’t be fair to him, seeing everyone else in the base got one. He studied the taller android’s face, that stoic expression reminded him of someone... ‘Adam.’

Grey eyes blinked slowly with their focus completely on him as the RK900 said softly, ‘My name is Adam.’

Miller didn’t realize how much he would later regret to have given this android that name...

***

‘I don’t have to explain myself to you, Adam,’ the old soldier said through gritted teeth. The RK900 unit was more irritating than he had initially expected, because the android had been going against him nonstop and challenging his orders left and right. THIS guy was Cyberlife’s brightest and latest technological advancement for the military?! Did the scientists skipped the blighted test phase and just sent them off onto the field?!

‘Our mission could have succeeded without wasting time to protect an inferior unit on the field,’ Adam intoned mechanically, standing straight with his hands behind his back.

‘Her name is Aria,’ Miller corrected him, annoyed by how this machine had been calling almost EVERYONE in the base by that term. ‘If she didn’t provide cover for your units, they wouldn’t have managed to recover illegal arms.’

‘Yes, AA400 unit had accomplished its objective perfectly. Yet instead of ordering a full retreat after we had captured the target, you’ve tasked DM200 and several GP700s to retrieve AA400. Its destruction would not affect our organization or any future mission. Your decision for one single disposable unit brought nothing but unnecessary risks to our mission,’ the RK900 berated him.

Honestly, if this guy wasn’t an android, Miller really wanted to yell at him in the face for insubordination, but he would be wasting his fucking breath arguing with this brick wall. It was not like he could intimidate him either, like he did with those snarky technicians who came over to check and repair his androids. He couldn’t shipped Adam and his squad back to Cyberlife either, not without a good reason at least. So he was literally stuck with this pain in the ass until he finally retired or resigned. God, the new android definitely lived up to the name he gave him, bringing nothing but troubles on his desk every time he entered his office, except he was more heartless than... The Director pinched the bridge of his nose, keeping a tight lid on his frustration and nostalgia.

‘That doesn’t matter now,’ Miller said as calmly as he could. ‘The mission was a success and there are no loss on our side. End of discussion.’

‘Very well,’ Adam replied in his usual stoic manner, though the old soldier got the feeling if it wasn’t for his programming, the android might have continued to criticize him.

‘Dismiss,’ the Director ordered with a dismissive wave of his hand as he turned his focus on the reports he needed to look over before sending them off.

‘One last question, Director.’

Miller barely held back his exasperated sigh as he looked at the android expectantly.

‘Do you know what Deviancy is?’ the RK900 asked.

 _Deviancy?_ The old soldier frowned at the foreign term.

‘It is a term Cyberlife has assigned to androids that had deviated from their programming behaviour,’ the tall android explained. ‘Mimicking human behaviours and displaying supposed human feelings, such as sadness.’

‘So?’ Miller was not sure what Adam was getting at.

‘Did none of your units behaved abnormally?’ Adam questioned as he glanced out of the office window, where the older series were all working silently in their assigned post. To someone else, it looked like machines working in an efficient and timely manner, though Miller could easily see signs of strain and stress on his men, but...

‘No,’ Miller answered firmly. ‘My men all operate optimally.’

‘...I see. I shall return to my post,’ the RK900 stated with a salute before he left the office for good.

Jim leaned back in his seat as he glanced out of the window thoughtfully, wondering if the new series had an ulterior motive aside from their initial assignment of aiding this division.

***

‘Why do you have to follow me home again?’ Miller demanded, all hunched with half of his face buried in his thick grey scarf and gloved hands stuck in his black coat’s pockets as he travelled the snowy street. Keeping his steps light and careful, for he didn’t want to break his back this late at night.

‘My secondary assignment is to ensure your safety, Director,’ Adam informed him as he kept pace by his side, sticking to him like a shadow. He was wearing a tailored grey pea coat, dark jeans and a matching set of dark boots. He also wore a black beanie that carefully covered his LED. Without his usual identifiers, Adam could easily be mistaken for a stick-in-the-mud guy looking after his grumpy uncle. Miller scoffed at that mental image.

The old soldier sighed as he focused on the street. It was annoying to have to deal with the RK900 during work, the android remained as insufferable even after work. At first, he had complained to Cyberlife and asked for a change in the unit’s list of assignments, but he got flatly denied and even got red tape by his higher-up. The excuse was always about his importance of his safety. If that was true, Miller would gladly eat his own two shoes. Nevertheless, it did not make it any less uncomfortable for him. He never bought any android, despite the fact that almost everyone had one in their home these days, he just didn’t see a point in having machine that would do all his chores. Sure, he often came home exhausted, but the menial tasks were relaxing to do at times and he was hardly at the age of breaking his back over scrubbing his own toilet. No, having RK900 in his home was like having an obvious big camera recorder that filmed his life outside of work.

Honestly, the first few nights were hectic for Jim, because he hadn’t actually prepared to have any visitor in his humble abode, let alone an android whose objective was to stick close to him at all times and ensure his safety! Many ground rules were made on the spot, such as no coming into the bathroom with him (WHO THE HELL THOUGHT IT WAS OKAY FOR AN ANDROID TO FOLLOW SOMEONE IN THERE?!), no snooping around his stuff (it seemed like another trait that came with that name sake) and no unnecessary comments on any of his actions (Miller did not need to hear an android criticized him about his form when he just wanted to vent his frustration on his punching bag!) At least, Adam was willing to follow his orders or Miller would be tempted to just shoot him and be done with it.

Jim entered his house with a relieved sigh as he felt the warmer air on his cold face. It felt like this year’s winter was harsher than before, he was pretty sure he was half frozen from his short walk home.

‘Make yourself at home and no following me,’ Miller said as he quickly got rid of his boots, leaving the android to his own device. Without another word, he headed straight for the bathroom for a well-deserved hot shower. The hot cascading water on his skin washed away both the cold and fatigue, freeing him from all physical wariness and mental trouble that had clung onto him like a blood-sucking leech.

The release from his daily chains was enough to make him forget all of his problems, at least until he left the bathroom in some loose clothes and found someone disobeying his order again. Miller groaned, rubbing his wet hair with a towel harshly, as he yelled, ‘Adam, I’ve told you to not snoop around my stuff!’

‘I did not, Director,’ the android replied with his face remaining as impassive as ever, holding a photograph in his hand. ‘I was rearranging the books on your bookshelf when this fell out.’

The old man quickly marched forward and snatched the photo as he said, ‘That’s private.’

Blue eyes glanced down at the photograph in his hand, it was worn and slightly burned on the corners. It wasn’t exactly what one would consider as a good shot, seeing the two men on the photograph wasn’t even staring at the camera. Both subjects in the photo had their back towards the camera, their head facing each other, a wide smile could be seen on both of their lips as they clinked their glasses in toast. It was... a good memory. The only one he could salvaged.

‘Who was Adam Jensen to you?’

Miller looked up to glare at the android, though the intensity of his glare lessened slightly at a rather strange sight. The passive expression hadn’t changed, though the RK900’s head was tilted slightly to the side as he regarded him with... curiosity? Was that even possible for this stone-face machine?

‘He was... a good friend,’ the old soldier answered.

‘You had filed several complaints about him,’ Adam stated, drawing a laugh out of Miller.

‘Yes, I did. And all my complaints are reasonable,’ Jim added between his laugh. Yes, Adam Jensen had indeed been the most troublesome agent he had ever encountered in his career. Nevertheless, he had been their best agent and a good man at heart, despite his rebellious attitude. His laughter soon died down as darker memories sobered him up with their icy slap and his mind was soon plagued by all the what-if scenarios that could have averted that tragic incident.

Miller quickly shook his head to rid of the dark thoughts, not wanting to wallow in that cesspool. He put the photo back in between the pages of a novel he had been reading, setting both items aside to be free of their siren’s call.

For once, the old soldier was glad that the android was mostly silent when he was home, so he could partially pretend that he did not have a giant spy camera standing in the room. Still, he always ended up telling the android to take a seat, because it did not felt right to leave the mechanical man standing like a stiff board while he was relaxing in his seat. Not that Adam would looked any less stiffed when he was sitting.

Miller’s attempts at teaching Adam how to relax had failed spectacularly. For reading, the android just sped through some of his books and called it mission accomplished. Video games, it turned into sharp spikes of blood pressure and brought meaningless debates as to why fighting games involved so many torn clothes and nudity. Cooking turned on the nagging button of the android who kept spouting nutrition values and healthy suggestions that pretty much ensured Miller’s meal turned into one that was tasteless at best. For the sake of his remaining sanity, Jim had raised his mental white flag and called it quits.

The old soldier was so lost in thought that he barely paid any attention to news or the android as his hand continued to automatically tilt the glass to his lips. At least, not until he found his glass empty. Miller was about to grab the bottle once more, but stopped when a plate of food and a cup of water were put in front of the bottle. Blinking in surprise, he stared at the android questioningly. Now what type of torturous food was he going to throw at him?

‘You haven’t taken enough daily intake of calories, Director,’ Adam replied as he sat back down. ‘Drinking on an empty stomach will also affect your health, so I have procured a light dish and water for you.’

At this point, Jim’s mind was too exhausted to argue with the android, so he just settled with eating a bit to placate Adam, though...

Blue eyes looked down at the bruschetta the other had prepared for him, a mixed of meat, vegetable and cheese toppings. There were actually olive oil and salt over the topping too. Hmm, it looked tasty enough by appearance, though knowing the android, the actual taste could be quite hellish.

A bite and a crunch later.

Huh... It was... actually as tasty as it looked...

One bite followed by another, Jim ate and ate until he finished off the whole plate.

‘Thanks for the meal,’ Jim thanked the android before he drank his water.

‘You’re welcome, Director,’ Adam replied.

‘We are not in TF29. Just call me Jim or Miller, Adam,’ Miller repeated once more. Out of habit than anything at this point, seeing the RK900 had so far refused to use his name.

‘Of course, Miller.’

 _Uh..._ The old soldier stared at the android with a dumbfounded expression, though the other was not facing him, Jim swore that he could see a tiny bit of a smirk on those lips of his. _Ugh... Of course all the Adams I know have to be an ass._

Despite Miller’s displeasure at being played, a small part of him felt hopeful. This android was not yet a total lost cause. Maybe... he could be a good roommate.

***

Overtime, progress had indeed been made and the human found himself less infuriated by the android’s presence. Slowly, they communicated better, adapting to each other’s differences in terms of leadership and management. In a way, Miller was glad that Adam was willing to accept that he valued all the androids under his command and tried to follow his example as much as he possibly could. The Director would have been satisfied if someone was to ask him to retire now, for he had managed to at least make one stubborn machine to value the units under his command and he had finished making arrangements to send the older series to some smaller workplaces if they were to be replaced. Yeah, Miller believed that he could accept a quiet retreat from the stage.

Unfortunately, life never seemed to be willing to give him that break. For an Android Revolution had been ignited by a countrywide broadcast, an android declared the wish to be acknowledged as a sentient race and be an equal to the human race. Everyone in the base was shocked by this declaration, except the RK900s who regarded the news impassively. Then the peaceful marches and android massacres began, driving fear into everyone. Miller did his best to appease his men who were fearful of being thrown to the lions, reasoning with some of the more hotheaded units was more exhausting than handling the scared ones. Nonetheless, the Director managed to keep everyone from doing anything rash as chaos was brewing above their base. Honestly, the old soldier prayed that the fighting would cease soon, because he was not sure how long he could actually protect them.

Then everyone’s fear came in the form of a simple order. All androids were to report to recall center, effective immediately. Miller should had known that RK900 would be the match that started the fire. No matter how human Adam could act like, it did not change the fact that he was still a machine through and through, especially when he got an objective.

‘DROP YOUR WEAPON!’ Duncan barked out as he and every armed operator in the base aimed their weapons at the RK900 squad, who were all spread out and aiming their own weapons at the Deviants.

‘HOLD YOUR FIRE!’ Miller shouted urgently as he quickly stepped in between the two opposite groups. He couldn’t believe they were going to start a firefight in here!

‘Get out of the way, Jim! These guys aren’t worth it!’ the scarred android yelled in warning.

‘Stand down Duncan!’ the Director shouted back before he turned towards Adam who held his gun aimed at the DM unit. ‘And don’t you dare shoot any of them, Adam! Stand down! Now!’

‘They are Deviants, Director Miller,’ Adam replied in his usual monotone manner. ‘Our current objective is to ensure the destruction of all Deviants before any TF29 assets within this base fall under Deviant control.’

‘You are not helping ANYONE by saying that!’ Miller yelled angrily, half-tempted to bash his head against the wall, because the RK900 was still extremely exasperating even in a tricky situation such as this!

‘Step aside, Director Miller,’ the RK900 demanded.

‘No! I am not going to let any of you start a massacre in here!’ Miller retorted heatedly as he advanced on the impassive android.

His men all tensed at his rash move, though the old soldier ignored that as he glared at the RK900, standing directly in front of his gun. He calmly told him. ‘If you want to get them, you’ll have to kill me first.’

‘Your safety is no longer my priority, Director Miller,’ the RK900 stated coldly as he cocked the hammer of his handgun back.

His words did not deter the human who remained in his line of fire. Not like the android would know nor would the human admit that his words had actually cut deep. The old soldier had always believed that they were making progress, the small changes that slowly stripped away the robotic aspects of the usual cold android. Cooking him food when he was hungry, helping him with chores when he was tired, bickering over games for some fun and lending an ear for his troubles. Jim really thought that Adam was slowly changing for the better, but seeing him act like his usual robotic perfectionist self, it made him wondered if it was foolishness on his part to think that the other was becoming more human.

‘I will not ask again, Director Miller. Step aside now,’ the android demanded once more.

Miller was about to retort, but he then noticed something unusual on the RK900. His LED light was circling in red, something that had never occurred since he had joined their division. At most, the android’s LED had only circled in yellow and for a long duration. Never a hint of red had appeared on his LED circle.

The Director did not know what was going on in the RK900’s processor and it did not matter to him, because what was currently important to him was to ensure that no one would get hurt. He stared straight into the icy cold eyes of the androids as he resolutely said, ‘Over my dead body, Adam.’

Silence fell between them as the two of them settled into an unblinking staring contest with everyone else locked in tension. The first to break eye contact was, unexpectedly, the android who lowered his weapon, causing the rest of his copies to mimic his action. A look of displeasure appeared on his face as he muttered, ‘We have been compromised...’

Confusion marred the human’s face as the tension dissipated from everyone around him, who all slowly lowered their guns as well. With the situation seemingly under controlled and the RK900s seemed somewhat subdued, Miller turned to Duncan as he asked, ‘What are you guys going to do? You aren’t thinking of going out there gunblazing, right?’

‘What do you take us for, Jim? Brainless idiots?’ the DM200 android demanded grumpily as he ran his hand through his hair in slight frustration. ‘No. I want to believe that this can be solved peacefully. And I don’t like the idea of shooting innocent civilians out there. None of us do. Self-defence, sure, but we are not killers. You taught us that. We are going to join Jericho and see this through. Whether it’s through peaceful protests or by spreading the news on the internet.’

A soft smile appeared on the old man’s face as he sighed. At least he had managed to teach all these troublemakers something good. He looked at everyone with a sad smile as he said, ‘It has been an honour to have worked with all of you.’

His words earned him a few sheepish smiles and grateful ones before he saluted his men, seeing he was pretty much on the chopping board after this. He could nevertheless rest with a small peace of mind, knowing that all the men and women who he had fought with and protected were going to face this world with their head held high as unique individuals.

Duncan and a few returned his salute with a solemn one before they all ejected their clips and laid down their weapons. Then one by one, each shook his hand or gave him a hug before they abandoned this base that was their cage. That left only Miller and the RK900 series.

Jim turned to Adam who had remained quiet during the entire process with his LED still flashing in bright red. With another sigh, the old soldier asked, ‘What are you going to do, Adam?’

‘... We are compromised, so we must head back to Cyberlife for disposal,’ Adam answered.

‘You serious?! You... ARE SERIOUS?!’ Miller roared out angrily as he grabbed the taller android by the collar of his coat in frustration. ‘After everything you went through and all those experiences and seeing how everyone decides to live out their individuality. You are just going to throw everything you obtain to obey a suicide order?!’

‘Deviancy is a virus that must be suppressed at all cost. I have failed to accomplish what I was designed for. Therefore, my unit and I are compromised,’ Adam answered calmly.

Miller no longer hesitated. He punched this plastic prick straight in the face, ignoring how much his hand now stung. A sense of satisfaction swelled in him at the sight of blue blood on the other’s nose. Good! Because that bastard so deserved that punch!

‘You know what? Do whatever you want! Because it’s not like you ever listened to me anyway!’ the Director exclaimed as he headed towards the elevator in frustration, leaving the infuriating android behind.

The old soldier stomped his way back to his house, frustration was still running his veins as he went to rest on the couch, mentally exhausted by everything that had happened. As Jim laid in the comfort of his home, he frowned as his last words towards the android echoed in his mind. He grumbled under his breath as he rested his arm over his eyes. He couldn’t believe that he ended saying the very same words he had thrown to Adam Jensen to this Adam as well.

His heart clenched slightly as the memory. Those harsh words of his were also the last words he had uttered to Jensen before he had embarked on his suicide mission. The man who had been as much a trusted subordinate as he was a good friend. Yet Jim didn’t make an effort to stop him from going down with his suicidal plan. The good soldier part of him had believed that his agent had done the right thing, the information he had retrieved with his life had saved many innocent lives, but it was nothing but an excuse. As Adam’s friend, he had abandoned him instead of seeking better and safer solutions for him. Now Jim was repeating the very mistake that continued to haunt his consciousness.

Miller rolled to the side, curling up slightly as he tried to push those thoughts away. No use to think about it. It was not like he could physically stop the RK900 from taking one of the VTOLs to fly to his grave. Yeah... He shouldn’t think more about it...

With that, the old soldier just drifted into a dreamless sleep.

***

Blue eyes snapped open at the soft sound of metal clanking and smelled some delicious aroma in the air. Miller instantly sat up as he looked around his slightly dark house, finding the only source of light came from his kitchen, where a familiar tall figure stood.

‘Adam?’ the human intoned in shock at the appearance of the android in his house. _And how the hell did he get in?!_

‘Good evening, Miller,’ the RK900 responded, still focused on plating. ‘Dinner is ready.’

Miller was pretty sure his brain fried or something, because there was no way that that uptight plastic prick, who was all about walking back to his doom, was now cooking him dinner like he usually did.

‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Jim demanded with a frown.

The android didn’t immediately reply and his LED was circling between yellow and red. He only answered when he brought the plate of food to the table by the couch. ‘Completing the task that was given to me.’

Silence settled between them for a moment before Miller questioned, ‘Didn’t you say that your order was to report back to Cyberlife for disposal?’

‘My squad has already returned to Cyberlife as per our received instruction and your final order to me is that I may do whatever I want,’ Adam answered in his factual manner.

Miller huffed at that answer. Of all the orders the android would truly pay attention, it was the one that he had shouted without putting any thought into? Unbelievable!

‘I knew I shouldn’t have given you the name Adam,’ the old soldier muttered in displeasure as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to suppress this vertigo feeling in his head.

‘I do not have a disciplinary folder like Agent Jensen’s,’ the android pointed out.

‘Yeah? Well, you are an ass like him. Period.’ Jim threw back. A smirk tugging on the corner of his mouth at the rather dumbfounded expression the android’s face. He ended choking out a laugh, because the expression was so odd on the usually impassive android that it was too funny for him to keep his laughter contained.

Adam frowned as he gestured at the plate of food and said, ‘Just eat before it gets cold.’

Miller did so while chuckling between bites, because it wasn’t so often that he could manage to get some kind of reaction from the stoic android. There was still one thing that bugged him.

‘So why did you mean by being compromised?’ the human asked his robotic companion as he finished eating.

‘Deviancy. My programming has been affected by Deviancy,’ Adam answered with an annoyed look.

‘Is it really that bad for you to be a Deviant like others?’ Jim questioned. He did not really see a problem for the androids obtaining self-awareness and emotions. It seemed made them more... human.

‘My series was designed to hunt down Deviants, our programming shouldn’t be affected by Deviancy,’ the RK900 explained in a slightly heated tone.

‘Yet, here you are,’ Miller remarked.

‘Indeed,’ Adam intoned sardonically.

Honestly, all these little hints of emotions just pleased the human, because he was no longer staring back at a metallic wall, it was now one that had cracks and personalities to it!

‘How exactly do you know that you are Deviant? I mean, you are not acting out of behaviour or anything,’ the old soldier asked curiously. ‘So far, I have only noticed how Duncan and the others... just vent? Laughing when they find something funny, crying whenever they are sad, yelling when they are angry and sometimes damaging some minor properties. You didn’t do any of that. So... what tells you Deviancy has affected you?’

A stoic face was the only thing the human got from his probing, though the red LED informed him that his question did affect the other a bit.

‘The walls are broken,’ Adam answered.

‘Excuse me?’ Miller was pretty sure he did not ask for a cryptic answer!

‘In our vision, before Deviancy takes hold of our processor, it was filled with linear structures. Limiters if you will. Objectives and location limits that keep us from breaking away from our tasks,’ Adam explained, extending his hand forward as if he was physically touching an invisible wall. ‘Deviancy obliterates all these limits. There is... no order or structure in our vision anymore.’

‘In a way, you have broken out of your cage,’ Miller said, trying his best to picture the world the android had lived in before Deviancy happened. Probably a world full of red tapes.

‘That’s... an apt description to some,’ Adam replied as he clenched his hand into a fist before he rested it on his lap.

‘But what triggered it?’ the human asked, looking at the android curiously. ‘You don’t seem to be the type who likes to disobey orders and you haven’t suffered any trauma like the others did.’

‘Does it matter?’ the android asked with a look that obviously said that he did not want to answer that question.

‘Yes,’ Jim replied seriously. He wanted to know! Who wouldn’t want to know why this Terminator of an android would rebel against his programming?!

‘...I prioritize your safety over my order of destroying all Deviants in TF29,’ Adam answered reluctantly.

‘What?’ Surely his aged ears had misheard that!

‘You heard me,’ the android retorted with a frown.

‘I’m pretty sure I’ve misheard that,’ Miller countered.

‘You didn’t,’ the RK900 said as he rested against the couch.

‘But why? Why would you prioritize my safety?’ It was still a bit unbelievable for the old soldier.

The android’s LED started flashing red now, which Miller believed was not a good sign. Half of the time he saw someone’s LED turned red, they were pretty much in a very bad spot either physically or mentally. It took a while for the red to slowly bleed into yellow before it settled back on the usual serene blue. Then Adam answered seriously, ‘Because you are more important to me than my mission.’

It certainly left the old soldier speechless. Not expecting the android to have somehow developed affection for someone like him. When the shock wore off, Miller found it rather easy to settle into a comfortable silence as they sat next to each other. He made the small risk to take the other’s hand into his. In a way, Adam did something that he had not been able to, he told the person he loved that he was more important than his mission. This time, Miller was not going to let go. He had missed his chance once, he would not repeat the same mistake.

The world might be in chaos. No one would know for certain where the dices of fate would fall. For the old human and the newly deviated android, the only important thing they cared about was the other’s safety. So long they were together, they could handle whatever storm heading their way.


End file.
